As businesses continue to search for ways to cut costs amid the global economic downturn, more organizations are turning their attention to Voice over IP, or “VoIP” technology.

 

“The economic downturn has clearly impacted the VoIP business,” Russ Maney (News - Alert), principal and co-founder of Xponential Group, a Louisville, Ky-based technology procurement services company, told TMCNet in an interview. “It has forced companies to look even harder for cost savings. It has also made them more reluctant to invest in new networking and communications solutions and hardware. There is definitely a sense of: ‘How can we make do with our current equipment longer, while still lowering our costs, but without having to invest money to do so?’ ”

 

One solution that is gaining traction is Contingent Network Services' “VoIPWorX,” which is designed to deliver business-class phone service over many types of IP connections.

 

Contingent’s VoIPWorX “hosted” phone system can be delivered in two ways.

 

The first is via SIP trunking. The standard offering is well suited for business customers that have as little as two or up to 2,000 lines and who want to keep their existing phone system, or want to use an on-premise IP-PBX (News - Alert) from another vendor.

 

The second option is the full-featured, Hosted IP-offering, which includes all of the standard business calling features and more, included supervised and blind transfer, park/pickup, intercom, hunt groups, automatic call distribution, conference calling, and Web-based attendant console features.

 

According to Maney, whose company represents Contingent, VoIPWorX’s cost savings is just one reason why it’s emerged as an attractive option for businesses.

 

The Cincinnati-based managed wide area network provider said its VoIPWorX Managed IP Telephony service offers users a cost savings of up to 40 percent off their monthly bill.

 

What’s more, users can buy VoIPWorX with zero upfront investment. Contingent can structure agreements that provide the necessary equipment, as well as ongoing installation and maintenance services, with no upfront equipment, installation, or set up fees, Maney said.

 

“Because VoIPWorX can be delivered – with the same or better commercial-grade quality as other VoIP offerings – over EverWorX circuits below the T1 level, a VoIPWorX phone service over EverWorX circuits package is a significantly less expense option, especially for smaller locations, such as individual restaurant, retail and company branch locations,” Maney said.

 

Companies also favor VoIPWorx for its efficient hardware solution. VoIPWorX can use customers’ existing, on premise phone hardware, eliminating the need for potentially costly phone system hardware upgrades. And because Contingent is not a carrier, it sources circuits from different national carriers to offer the best circuit provider for each location and 100 percent coverage in North America, Maney said.

 

VoIPWorX is well-suited for large, national and international enterprises that have hundreds or thousands of widely dispersed locations, yet the solution is flexible enough to serve clients of any size, Maney said. Contingent has been offering its VoIPWorX solution since 2004.

 

A recent study by research firm In-Stat (News - Alert) found that VoIP deployments are expected to reach 74 percent of all U.S. businesses by 2012. As TMCnet reported, VoIP adoption, however, is expected to grow at a slower rate as new entrants to the technology are skeptical about spending money in order to save money.

 

In an industry filled with VoIP competitors, VoIPWorX stands apart from other providers for two reasons, Maney said. First, the VoIPWorX is a “single source” service. Secondly, the service can be deployed across thousands of widely dispersed locations, Maney said.

 

In addition, Contingent built a national network of more than 40,000 technicians in the U.S. representing more than 3,000 companies to maintain the service. The company offers a one of-a-kind guarantee to have a technician arrive at any U.S. address in two hours or less if a problem occurs.

 

“Other providers have to scramble to find someone to fix customer problems at remote locations,” Maney said. “This often takes many hours or even several days. Contingent’s core business is making networks work.”